A report by Associated Press journalist Hrvoje Hranjski (Jan 3, 2013, New Law Points to Philippines Church’s Waning Sway) says that the recent passing of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act 2012 in the Philippines shows that the Catholic Church no longer has sway over the masses as it did during President Marcos’ time.

The law, which now faces a legal challenge in the Supreme Court, gives Govt funding for contraceptives. According to the Associated Press article, “Catholic leaders consider the law an attack on the church’s core values — the sanctity of life — saying that contraceptives promote promiscuity and destroy life.”

The Philippines House of Reps has developed a new Reproductive Health Bill which it hopes will be approved by the end of 2012.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr said the new bill would have a provision ensuring that the process of fertilisation and conception would not be impeded. For story by Jess Diaz from the Philippines Star (Oct 19) click here.

The US-based Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute reports on the Global Abortion Lobby and the impact it is having on the Philippines. For story click here.

On May 4, 2012 about 40 people, including pastors from across the Philippines attended the Conference on Apsects of Reformed Worship and God’s Sovereignty. The annual conference was organised by the Berean Protestant Reformed Church in Manila. Speakers Revs Daniel Kleyn and Richard Smit spoke about the sovereignty of God over evil, the practice of Infant Baptism, Family Worship and Reformed Worship.

MINDANAO, Philippines – The Philippines is a mostly Christian nation, but in the south, Muslim fundamentalists are trying to build an Islamic state. Christians there face persecution and even death. For report see article by CBN News’ Lucille Talusan, “Philippines Pastors Face Death for Ministry to Muslims, March 24, 2012.

Filipinos who could not make the traditional All-Saints’ Day visits (Nov 1) to cemeteries will be able to offer their prayers for the dead through a website set up by the country’s Catholic bishops. For story: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=28836

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has told President Benigno Aquino it will discontinue dialogue with the administration on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill, reports the Sun Star Manila. For more: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=26397

Steve Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute, says that well-funded foreign population control and abortion organisations are behind the “Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health And Population And Development Act Of 2011”. The Act fixes the ideal family size at two children. Mosher says that it will give further impetus to social engineering projects, already underway in the Philippine Department of Health and other government departments, to reduce family size. In our experience at PRI, any time a government sets population targets of any kind, it leads to human rights abuses.